I have talked about a T-shirt of the podcast for awhile. It's here! You can buy it at this link: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/faithful-forebearers-t-shirt-1 It will only be on sale for 2 weeks, so make sure you get one fast! Share it with your friends, as these will only be made if enough people buy them. The proceeds will be going to commissioning art of Frumentius and Ezana from Episode 2.1. If you will like to give more towards that, it is most appreciated as well! It will be done by an artist who goes by Theophilia, you can find her work here: https://www.deviantart.com/theophilia

Estifanos (1380-1454) is sometimes known as Africa's first protestant, even though he lived 70 years before the Reformation. He believed that the Bible should be the measure of all else in the Church, and that salvation was already won fully by Jesus. His radical commitment to the authority of Scripture would cause a serious conflict with Zara Yaqob, the King of Ethiopia from last episode.

With Frumentius and Ezana, the Ethiopian church got off to a great start, but things did not stay that way. After 1,000 years, and centuries of setbacks, the nation and the church made a great comeback. It culminated in the reign of King Zara Yaqob in the mid 1400s. While his legacy is still felt in both the church and the nation, he is remembered both as a reformer and as a despot.

This next series we will be learning all about the church of Ethiopia. This church is far more ancient than most in Europe and has a rich history of over 1,000 years, and yet is almost totally forgotten by the western Church. It all began with a captive turned accidental missionary, and a young prince in the early 300s AD.

Welcome back! Yes, the podcast is coming back! Today's episode is really just an update. I'll introduce the new format for the show of "seasons," and what that will look like. But as a bonus, along with this announcement is a mini episode on the author of the podcast's official hymn: "For All the Saints," a man named William Walsham How.

While Rudolph may be the most famous reindeer of all, Nicholas very well might be the most famous saint of all. Except while he's very famous, you probably don't know much about him. While he is not all holly and jolly, he certainly was a man who cared deeply for families, and who should be remembered for his humble generosity.

We continue our time in Ireland. Once Patrick was gone, the next generations would carry on his work. And before long, Ireland would be a powerhouse of Christian learning. Soon they would not be receiving missionaries, but sending them out to Scotland, England and the world beyond.

Everybody knows the name St. Patrick, but few people know about the actual man. While there are many legends around Patrick, he was a historical person, and a fascinating one at that. His life is an adventure story. He didn't drive out any snakes, and there are no mentions of clovers, but he worked tirelessly to bring Christianity to the pagan Irish people.

You have probably never heard of Jean Gerson, and that is a shame. Most students of Church History do not even know him. But you certainly should know about Jean Gerson. Gerson is a towering figure in the 1400s, and in the history of the whole Church. In great part, he was the one able to heal the Western Schism. But because he occupies a space in between modern Protestants and Catholics, he often gets forgotten by both.

The fate of Jan Hus is a great tragedy in the history of the Church. He was an ardent follower of our friend John Wycliffe from last episode, although the two never met. He was opposed to the corruption he saw in the church, and he believed that all people should hear the Bible in their own language. But the church authorities were not willing to listen to the reforms and ideas of Hus or Wycliffe. Sadly at the Council of Constance in 1415, he would be executed for his beliefs. His bravery and his commitment to the truth is an inspiration for many even today.